Signed, Sealed, Delivered

Late Thursday afternoon I received my first publishing contract from Siren! Yes, I read all twelve pages after printing it and before signing it. It's official! The Sextet and I are now also in the authors list on Siren Publishing's Coming Soon page. Click on The Sextet and/or Mellanie Szereto to see our soon-to-be-published volumes. Go to http://www.sirenpublishing.com/comingsoon :)

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With a Kick!

Wednesday's Recipe - Leek and Potato Soup

Oops! A day late again. I started the RWA PRO 50K Challenge this week and added a critique partner to my line-up, so yesterday was 150 pages of critiquing plus my normal writing. I've also been tweaking my website this week--not an easy task for the technically-challenged...

Here's another simple soup recipe to use more of those garden potatoes. :)

Leek and Potato Soup

3-4 large leeks, trimmed, sliced, and thoroughly rinsed (they tend to collect mud in the layers)
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
5-6 medium potatoes, scrubbed, quartered, and sliced
4 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tablespoon chopped chives

In a soup pot, saute leeks in margarine over medium-high heat until tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally. Makes 6-8 servings. Great with quiche, quesadillas, and grilled cheese sandwiches!

Back to work!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With a Kick!

Coming Soon!!!

Time for a deep breath. I spent all day Saturday with The Sextet working on our critiques for Volume 4 and much of the day yesterday editing that story and trying to reach the finish line of my current novella. Almost there. AND, as of yesterday, The Sextet's Volumes 1 and 2 are on the Coming Soon page at the Siren/Bookstrand website! No covers yet, but they should be ready soon as well.

Off to write!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With a Kick!

Wednesday's Recipe--Butter and Herb Mashed Red Potatoes

Only a day late. A trip to the orthodontist and a blown fuse in my car interfered with life yesterday. Here's an alternative to the same boring mashed potatoes. I came up with this recipe as a way to use the bushels of red potatoes from my garden.



Butter and Herb Mashed Red Potatoes

4 large red potatoes, scrubbed, trimmed but not peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
salt
pepper
parsley
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/3-1/2 cup milk

Rinse the chopped potatoes in cold water and drain. Add enough cold water to cover and about 1 teaspoon salt. Let stand up to two hours. Heat on high until boiling. Reduce heat and continue to boil until potatoes are soft. Drain.
Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, a few shakes of pepper, 1 tablespoon parsley, margarine, and milk. Mash until mixed but not smooth. I use a hand masher. Makes about 6 servings.

Enjoy!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With a Kick!

Busy As A...Writer

The start of another week, with more to do to get ready for The Sextet's first release. IRWA's PR person and I are working together to decide where to send public relations releases in regards to e-pubbing. We're both learning as we go :)

I'm also critiquing Paige Matthews' single title novella while I work on The Sextet Volume 6's story and keep up with email, etc. Busy, but good busy!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With a Kick!

Conference and Website and Meetings, Oh My!

It's that time again! I've registered for the 2011 RWA National Conference, have my flight to NYC and hotel booked, and, best of all, the whole Sextet will be in attendance! A few days ago I also contacted RWA to request my First Sale ribbon :)

Yesterday I figured out how to add pages and content to my under-construction website. Yes, this computer illiterate is building her own website. The best part? I know how to put titles and release dates to my books page! Covers shouldn't be too far behind. We should be getting the first three soon. The link to my website is in the list at the bottom of the page. Take a look!

Tomorrow is the monthly meeting for IRWA and I have lots of updates to pass on as PRO Liaison of the chapter. I'm looking forward to getting together with The Sextet afterward for a late lunch/early dinner. Lots of our ideas for stories arise from these post meeting meetings. I can't wait to see where the brainstorming leads.

Back to writing!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With a Kick!

Wednesday's Recipe--Dilled Salmon

Wednesday is here again, and I'm ready for summer. I think my yard has been snow-less two days since December first. Right now, It's a mixture of two inches of sleet glazed over with a thin coating of ice, another two inches of sleet glazed over with about half an inch of ice, and about six inches or so of snow. I've had to wear my YakTrax to walk the dog for the last week.

An upside to blustery winter weather? I huddle over the keyboard, working on more Sextet stories. My Volume 5 contribution is coming along at 12K words, with positive feedback from fellow Sextet writers Cheryl Brooks and Paige Matthews. I need to work on Volume 3's final polish, then it'll be ready to submit to our editor at Siren Publishing. And I'm thinking ahead to Volumes 6 and 7. That means easy meals and lots of writing and research!



Dilled Salmon

Fresh or frozen salmon fillets (I prefer the tail portion--no bones)
salt
pepper
dill
margarine (about 1 1/2 tablespoons per pound of salmon)

Remove skin from salmon. Hint--use a very sharp knife with partially frozen salmon. Salt and pepper both sides. Let stand 10 minutes.
Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add margarine and melt to an even coating in the bottom of the pan. Add salmon and sprinkle generously with dill. Cover and cook until fish becomes opaque and underside in lightly browned. Turn and sprinkle with dill. Cover and cook until flaky and thickest part of fillet is cooked through.
**A well-seasoned cast iron skillet works best**

I like to serve this with a baked potato or Butter and Herb Mashed Red Potatoes (I'll post this recipe next week!). Enjoy!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With a Kick!

Writing First

Where does the time go? I haven't posted in over a week, but when the ideas flow, writing comes first. I've been whipping my story for The Sextet Volume 3 into shape and working on another story for Volume 5. The Morphing Subplot is out to several critique buddies for ripping and shredding (hopefully not too much--I LOVE this 90K contemporary).

Stay safe and warm in this blustery winter weather!

Mellanie Szereto
Romance...With a Kick!